Surgery performed on injured PCC guard

Friday

Feb 1, 2013 at 11:58 AMFeb 1, 2013 at 12:00 PM

Cynthia Grau

An injured correctional officer underwent reconstructive surgery Thursday to repair multiple facial fractures, according to a union spokesperson.The Pontiac Correctional Center officer, who has not been named by officials, was attacked by an inmate Monday afternoon. Anders Lindall, spokesperson for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said he was told the officer was scheduled to undergo reconstructive surgery Thursday.Although the guard has not been named, his picture was shared on Facebook. The picture shows the left side of the guard’s face extremely swollen and red and purple from bruising. The left eye was swollen shut.The Illinois Department of Corrections had no information on the surgery, according to a department spokesperson.“The safety and security of our employees is of the utmost importance. We wish the officer a speedy recovery and return to work from his current leave,” said Jeff Squibb, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Squibb said the latest update the department had been given was that the officer was medically treated for his injuries and released.No details of the attack were given and the incident is still under investigation, authorities said.The inmate attacked the officer at approximately 1:45 p.m. Monday. State Rep. Josh Harms, R-Watseka, who had been touring the facility only a few short hours before the incident, said that he was told the officer was “jumped.”IDOC representatives also said that the inmate had just been transferred to Pontiac from Menard Correctional Center. PCC also received a number of inmates from the closing down of Tamms, the supermax prison in southern Illinois.AFSCME said the recent attack is symptomatic of the problem of overcrowding at the facility and within the overall corrections system. Dwight Correctional Center, the state’s only all-female prison, is slated to close later this month.